New York Times
November 6, 2007
Editorial
The Pakistan Mess
By imposing martial law, Gen. Pervez Musharraf has pushed nuclear-armed Pakistan further along a perilous course and underscored the failure of President Bush’s policy toward a key ally in the war on terrorism. The events should not have come as a surprise to administration officials. This is what you get when policy is centered slavishly on a single, autocratic ruler rather than more broadly on his country.
The general, Pakistan’s president, justified his crackdown as a defense against Islamic militants, but his desperate and reprehensible actions — suspending the constitution, rounding up judges, beating and jailing lawyers and journalists — will embolden extremists. They will also fuel anger and mistrust among Pakistani moderates.
After winning a sham ballot last month, General Musharraf was awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether his election, while still serving as army chief of staff, was legal. Jane Perlez and David Rohde reported in The Times that the dictator asserted military powers after getting word that the court would rule against him. A phone call at 2 a.m. Pakistan time from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice dissuaded the general from taking similar action during last summer’s mass political protests, but this time nothing could induce him to back down.
Returning Pakistan to civilian government has been a declared goal of the United States since General Musharraf seized power in 1999 in a bloodless military coup. He has repeatedly broken promises to move in that direction, using his power vindictively and squandering popular support by forcing rivals into exile and intimidating anyone who tried to stand up to him. Most of the time, Mr. Bush, who says he cannot win the anti-terrorism war without General Musharraf but clearly can’t win it with him either, acquiesced in his misdeeds.
The Faustian nature of the bargain is more apparent than ever. Not only has the general proven less committed to the anti-terrorism fight than expected (Al Qaeda and the Taliban are resurgent on the border with Afghanistan), but now he has abandoned any pretense of moving toward democracy. Mr. Bush seems to have gained little leverage from the more than $10 billion in American aid that has fattened Pakistan’s coffers since Sept. 11, 2001, much of it unaccounted for.
It was encouraging to see Pakistani lawyers openly challenge the legitimacy of Mr. Musharraf’s emergency degree on Monday — although the response was less than heartening. General Musharraf first sent his police to beat the protesters and then announced that a national election would take place in January. At this point, what is that assurance worth?
The United States is increasingly left with bad options. Cutting off aid would only make it harder to enlist Pakistan’s military in the anti-extremist fight and renew doubts about America’s reliability as an ally. The United States should at least condition that money on Pakistan’s performance in the anti-terrorism fight, on some form of accountability and on shifting more of it toward building political parties, courts and schools. It should also consider discussions with India, Iran, China and Saudi Arabia on how to prevent further instability in Pakistan.
Ultimately, democracy, not dictatorship, is the best hope for a stable Pakistan. Reviving General Musharraf’s back-room deal with the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, however distasteful, may be a way back from the abyss if it includes a real commitment to elections by the general, if Ms. Bhutto insists that the eletions be open to all parties and if Mr. Bush gives her strong backing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007....=slogin
"State of Emergency" in Pakistan - Musharraf declares martial law
Oh god, I hope Reza is ok.
Counterpunch
November 6, 2007
Prescriptions for a Coup
Pakistan's Dark Future
By LIAQUAT ALI KHAN
On November 3, Pakistan delved into playing the Dark Future-a lawless game of alternate reality, a game in which the nation falls apart, the laws break down, and the players commit high crimes and misdemeanors to get ahead, to win. On this reckless day, Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, perhaps after receiving a signal from Washington D.C., proclaimed emergency throughout Pakistan and ordered that "the constitution shall remain in abeyance."
Article 232 of the Pakistan constitution allows the President to issue a Proclamation of Emergency under grave circumstances. The November Proclamation, however, has been issued by Pervez Musharraf as the Army Chief, and not as the President. This legal twist empowers the Army Chief to exercise more authority than a constitutional Proclamation of Emergency would otherwise allow. The constitution does not authorize an Army Chief to declare emergency. Nor does the constitution allow a wholesale termination of services of Supreme Court judges. On its very face, therefore, the November Proclamation is incompatible with the constitution. It is by all means an extra-constitutional coup.
Disestablishment of Judiciary
The coup specifically targets Pakistan's judiciary. The judiciary, which was making a successful transition toward independence, has been stopped in the tracks. The Proclamation offers twelve reasons for the suspension of the constitution. Six reasons lay blame on the judiciary, holding the judges responsible for releasing terrorists, working at cross purposes with the government, overstepping the limits of judicial authority, and placing judges beyond accountability. These charges against the Supreme Court, in the opinion of the nation's most respected lawyers, are exaggerated and erroneous.
Judges throughout the country are divided over supporting the suspension of the constitution. Judges who depend on their jobs for supporting families are unable to defy the Proclamation. So far, however, only four out of the nineteen Supreme Court judges have taken the oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). A pro-military judge, under investigation for corruption, has been made the Chief Justice. Numerous judges of the four provincial high courts have also declined to take oath under the PCO. This unprecedented judicial resistance to the Proclamation will continue.
The disestablishment of the judiciary will further deepen when lawyers boycott appearing before what they call "traitor judges." The lawyers are unlikely to boycott lower courts where ordinary cases are litigated. They will continue to seek relief for political workers who are unlawfully arrested. Some lawyers will continue to expose the abuses of power even in high courts.
A permanent harm to the judiciary may be spared if judges are united in their resolve to oppose the Proclamation. Even judges who have taken the oath under the PCO can play an important role in limiting the lawlessness that the Musharraf regime may commence to enforce its writ.
Terrorism Unbounded
Escalating terrorism is the other reason offered for suspending the constitution. The Proclamation highlights heinous terrorist activities, IED explosions, and suicide bombings that have bedeviled the government. These reasons are tendered to persuade Americans that a non-democratic regime in Pakistan is good for America.
America understands that an unlawful government in Pakistan is a godsend for terrorists. Despite deceptive appearances of cooperation with the United States, Pakistani intelligence agencies team up with militants to inflict harm on American soldiers. A vast geographical area spanning through the four contiguous Muslim countries--Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan-furnishes militants unlimited breathing space and logistical support for planning and executing reprisals. Frustrated American forces may now be allowed to openly attack militants inside Pakistan. This course of action however will be imprudent.
It is totally understandable, though morally discomforting, that the United States is using Pakistan for its own national benefit. No Kantian imperative dictates that American foreign policy must treat Pakistan as an end in itself and not a means. Still, wiser heads in Washington will refuse to destabilize Pakistan to win an elusive war on terrorism. Time is ripe for America to support democracy in Pakistan to win the hearts and minds of its population. Saving Musharraf is a liability that the United States cannot afford.
Another Coup?
Meanwhile, Pakistan abounds with rumors and speculations that another military coup is imminent. In the past sixty years, Pakistani army chiefs have staged revolutions on the theory that the armed forces are highly disciplined in that no mutiny raises head in ranks and files once the army chief makes a decision to suspend the constitution. This theory may not work this time since Musharraf has become a pariah both outside and inside the armed forces.
Outside the armed forces, Musharraf has no constitutional or political cover. The constitution has been effectively suspended. The Supreme Court has been effectively dissolved. The existing national and provincial assemblies would soon complete their terms and cease to exist. Ironically, though, a constitutional proclamation of emergency allows the extension of the term of the national assembly by a year. Musharraf may invoke this provision of the constitution to extend the life of the existing Parliament and postpone the general elections due in January 2008. These measures will not stabilize Pakistan. Lawyers, political parties, and the media are determined to challenge the continuation of the Musharraf regime.
Things are worse inside the armed forces. Inside, Musharraf is viewed as a crass political operator. He is no longer a professional soldier. His uniform annoys the armed forces. It is no symbol of pride. It is a symptom of addiction to power. Furthermore, the armed forces resent ground realities. Soldiers have been placed in predicaments to kill innocent villagers. They surrender to the militants, saying brothers don't kill brothers.
As world criticism mounts, lawyers boycott the courts, and confusion grips Islamabad, General Ashfaq Kiani, the designated army chief, will come under tremendous pressure to safeguard the honor of the armed forces and remove an ineffective addict from power. This coup may not be peaceful.
Ali Khan is a professor of law at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. This story is written for his two sons, Harun and Kashif. He can be reached at: ali.khan@washburn.edu
http://www.counterpunch.org/alikhan11062007.html
Counterpunch
November 6, 2007
Prescriptions for a Coup
Pakistan's Dark Future
By LIAQUAT ALI KHAN
On November 3, Pakistan delved into playing the Dark Future-a lawless game of alternate reality, a game in which the nation falls apart, the laws break down, and the players commit high crimes and misdemeanors to get ahead, to win. On this reckless day, Army Chief Pervez Musharraf, perhaps after receiving a signal from Washington D.C., proclaimed emergency throughout Pakistan and ordered that "the constitution shall remain in abeyance."
Article 232 of the Pakistan constitution allows the President to issue a Proclamation of Emergency under grave circumstances. The November Proclamation, however, has been issued by Pervez Musharraf as the Army Chief, and not as the President. This legal twist empowers the Army Chief to exercise more authority than a constitutional Proclamation of Emergency would otherwise allow. The constitution does not authorize an Army Chief to declare emergency. Nor does the constitution allow a wholesale termination of services of Supreme Court judges. On its very face, therefore, the November Proclamation is incompatible with the constitution. It is by all means an extra-constitutional coup.
Disestablishment of Judiciary
The coup specifically targets Pakistan's judiciary. The judiciary, which was making a successful transition toward independence, has been stopped in the tracks. The Proclamation offers twelve reasons for the suspension of the constitution. Six reasons lay blame on the judiciary, holding the judges responsible for releasing terrorists, working at cross purposes with the government, overstepping the limits of judicial authority, and placing judges beyond accountability. These charges against the Supreme Court, in the opinion of the nation's most respected lawyers, are exaggerated and erroneous.
Judges throughout the country are divided over supporting the suspension of the constitution. Judges who depend on their jobs for supporting families are unable to defy the Proclamation. So far, however, only four out of the nineteen Supreme Court judges have taken the oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). A pro-military judge, under investigation for corruption, has been made the Chief Justice. Numerous judges of the four provincial high courts have also declined to take oath under the PCO. This unprecedented judicial resistance to the Proclamation will continue.
The disestablishment of the judiciary will further deepen when lawyers boycott appearing before what they call "traitor judges." The lawyers are unlikely to boycott lower courts where ordinary cases are litigated. They will continue to seek relief for political workers who are unlawfully arrested. Some lawyers will continue to expose the abuses of power even in high courts.
A permanent harm to the judiciary may be spared if judges are united in their resolve to oppose the Proclamation. Even judges who have taken the oath under the PCO can play an important role in limiting the lawlessness that the Musharraf regime may commence to enforce its writ.
Terrorism Unbounded
Escalating terrorism is the other reason offered for suspending the constitution. The Proclamation highlights heinous terrorist activities, IED explosions, and suicide bombings that have bedeviled the government. These reasons are tendered to persuade Americans that a non-democratic regime in Pakistan is good for America.
America understands that an unlawful government in Pakistan is a godsend for terrorists. Despite deceptive appearances of cooperation with the United States, Pakistani intelligence agencies team up with militants to inflict harm on American soldiers. A vast geographical area spanning through the four contiguous Muslim countries--Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan-furnishes militants unlimited breathing space and logistical support for planning and executing reprisals. Frustrated American forces may now be allowed to openly attack militants inside Pakistan. This course of action however will be imprudent.
It is totally understandable, though morally discomforting, that the United States is using Pakistan for its own national benefit. No Kantian imperative dictates that American foreign policy must treat Pakistan as an end in itself and not a means. Still, wiser heads in Washington will refuse to destabilize Pakistan to win an elusive war on terrorism. Time is ripe for America to support democracy in Pakistan to win the hearts and minds of its population. Saving Musharraf is a liability that the United States cannot afford.
Another Coup?
Meanwhile, Pakistan abounds with rumors and speculations that another military coup is imminent. In the past sixty years, Pakistani army chiefs have staged revolutions on the theory that the armed forces are highly disciplined in that no mutiny raises head in ranks and files once the army chief makes a decision to suspend the constitution. This theory may not work this time since Musharraf has become a pariah both outside and inside the armed forces.
Outside the armed forces, Musharraf has no constitutional or political cover. The constitution has been effectively suspended. The Supreme Court has been effectively dissolved. The existing national and provincial assemblies would soon complete their terms and cease to exist. Ironically, though, a constitutional proclamation of emergency allows the extension of the term of the national assembly by a year. Musharraf may invoke this provision of the constitution to extend the life of the existing Parliament and postpone the general elections due in January 2008. These measures will not stabilize Pakistan. Lawyers, political parties, and the media are determined to challenge the continuation of the Musharraf regime.
Things are worse inside the armed forces. Inside, Musharraf is viewed as a crass political operator. He is no longer a professional soldier. His uniform annoys the armed forces. It is no symbol of pride. It is a symptom of addiction to power. Furthermore, the armed forces resent ground realities. Soldiers have been placed in predicaments to kill innocent villagers. They surrender to the militants, saying brothers don't kill brothers.
As world criticism mounts, lawyers boycott the courts, and confusion grips Islamabad, General Ashfaq Kiani, the designated army chief, will come under tremendous pressure to safeguard the honor of the armed forces and remove an ineffective addict from power. This coup may not be peaceful.
Ali Khan is a professor of law at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. This story is written for his two sons, Harun and Kashif. He can be reached at: ali.khan@washburn.edu
http://www.counterpunch.org/alikhan11062007.html
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Sonic Youth
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Doubt it. There's no popular uprising going on. So far, it's just lawyers waging protests.
And as I recall, Reza has kids. I'm not so sure he'd want to participate in an un-peaceful demonstration when there's an excellent chance he'd be imprisoned or beaten and maybe even killed.
And as I recall, Reza has kids. I'm not so sure he'd want to participate in an un-peaceful demonstration when there's an excellent chance he'd be imprisoned or beaten and maybe even killed.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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OscarGuy
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I wouldn't doubt that with the passion Reza displays here that he's out there fighting the good fight and protesting.
Hopefully, we hear from him soon and he stays safe in the meantime.
Hopefully, we hear from him soon and he stays safe in the meantime.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
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According to a news report I heard just 10 minutes ago the internet has been 'shut down' in Pakistan.FilmFan720 wrote:No word from Reza yet?
"I want cement covering every blade of grass in this nation! Don't we taxpayers have a voice anymore?" Peggy Gravel (Mink Stole) in John Waters' Desperate Living (1977)
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FilmFan720
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Sonic Youth
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Sonic Youth
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Thousands Face Down Pakistani Police
Nov 5, 3:43 PM (ET)
By MUNIR AHMAD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. Opposition groups put the number of arrests at 3,500, although the government reported half that....
...Public anger was mounting in the nation of 160 million people, which has been under military rule for much of its 60-year history, but demonstrations so far have been limited largely to activists, rights workers and lawyers - angered by his attacks on the judiciary. All have been quickly and sometimes brutally stamped out....
...Since late Saturday, between 1,500 and 1,800 people have been detained nationwide, an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
But former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's opposition party said authorities had rounded up around 2,300 of their supporters. Other political activists, human rights groups, and lawyers added another 1,200 detentions to that toll.
Lawyers - who were the driving force behind protests earlier this year when Musharraf tried unsuccessfully to fire independent-minded chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry - attempted to stage rallies in major cities on Monday, but were beaten and arrested....
....In the biggest gathering Monday, about 2,000 lawyers congregated at the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore. As lawyers tried to exit onto a main road, hundreds of police stormed inside, swinging batons and firing tear gas. Lawyers, shouting "Go Musharraf Go!" responded by throwing stones and beating police with tree branches.
Lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore were bludgeoned with batons and then dragged onto a road in front of the high court. About 20 injured were given medical aid in a waiting ambulance before being hauled away in police buses, usually used for transporting prisoners.
"Police also punched and kicked them, despite their age," Tariq Javed Warriach, vice chairman of the Lahore Bar Council, said in reference to some of the senior lawyers. "They were treated so brutally ... I've never seen such a thing."
Even lawyers who were not involved in protests appeared to be targeted.
One, Imran Qadi Khan, said police pulled him off a bus near Musharraf's army office in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital, as he was heading to work. "We have been sitting here since morning," he said from prison. "The police are not telling us anything about what they plan to do with us."
Another, Mohammad Khan Zaman, said he evaded capture by running to his nearby office. "The police arrested anyone wearing the lawyer's uniform," he said, referring to the profession's trademark black suits.
Musharraf has also moved quickly to control the media, which he said was partly to blame for the current crisis.
Police raided and briefly sealed a printing press belonging to Pakistan's largest media group on Monday. They also tried to storm a press club in Karachi. Broadcasts by independent news networks remained blocked, and domestic transmissions of the BBC and CNN were off the air.
In the capital, Islamabad, hundreds of police and paramilitary troops lined roads and rolled out barbed-wire barricades on Monday to seal off the Supreme Court.
Rana Bhagwandas, a Supreme Court judge who refused to take oath under Musharraf's proclamation of emergency orders, said that he has been locked inside his official residence in Islamabad and that other judges were being pressured to support the government.
"They are still working on some judges, they are under pressure," Bhagwandas told Geo TV in a phone interview.
Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said Sunday a new panel of Supreme Court judges would rule "as early as possible" on Musharraf's eligibility for a new five-year presidential term.
Nov 5, 3:43 PM (ET)
By MUNIR AHMAD
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. Opposition groups put the number of arrests at 3,500, although the government reported half that....
...Public anger was mounting in the nation of 160 million people, which has been under military rule for much of its 60-year history, but demonstrations so far have been limited largely to activists, rights workers and lawyers - angered by his attacks on the judiciary. All have been quickly and sometimes brutally stamped out....
...Since late Saturday, between 1,500 and 1,800 people have been detained nationwide, an Interior Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
But former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's opposition party said authorities had rounded up around 2,300 of their supporters. Other political activists, human rights groups, and lawyers added another 1,200 detentions to that toll.
Lawyers - who were the driving force behind protests earlier this year when Musharraf tried unsuccessfully to fire independent-minded chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry - attempted to stage rallies in major cities on Monday, but were beaten and arrested....
....In the biggest gathering Monday, about 2,000 lawyers congregated at the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore. As lawyers tried to exit onto a main road, hundreds of police stormed inside, swinging batons and firing tear gas. Lawyers, shouting "Go Musharraf Go!" responded by throwing stones and beating police with tree branches.
Lawyers in the eastern city of Lahore were bludgeoned with batons and then dragged onto a road in front of the high court. About 20 injured were given medical aid in a waiting ambulance before being hauled away in police buses, usually used for transporting prisoners.
"Police also punched and kicked them, despite their age," Tariq Javed Warriach, vice chairman of the Lahore Bar Council, said in reference to some of the senior lawyers. "They were treated so brutally ... I've never seen such a thing."
Even lawyers who were not involved in protests appeared to be targeted.
One, Imran Qadi Khan, said police pulled him off a bus near Musharraf's army office in Rawalpindi, just south of the capital, as he was heading to work. "We have been sitting here since morning," he said from prison. "The police are not telling us anything about what they plan to do with us."
Another, Mohammad Khan Zaman, said he evaded capture by running to his nearby office. "The police arrested anyone wearing the lawyer's uniform," he said, referring to the profession's trademark black suits.
Musharraf has also moved quickly to control the media, which he said was partly to blame for the current crisis.
Police raided and briefly sealed a printing press belonging to Pakistan's largest media group on Monday. They also tried to storm a press club in Karachi. Broadcasts by independent news networks remained blocked, and domestic transmissions of the BBC and CNN were off the air.
In the capital, Islamabad, hundreds of police and paramilitary troops lined roads and rolled out barbed-wire barricades on Monday to seal off the Supreme Court.
Rana Bhagwandas, a Supreme Court judge who refused to take oath under Musharraf's proclamation of emergency orders, said that he has been locked inside his official residence in Islamabad and that other judges were being pressured to support the government.
"They are still working on some judges, they are under pressure," Bhagwandas told Geo TV in a phone interview.
Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum said Sunday a new panel of Supreme Court judges would rule "as early as possible" on Musharraf's eligibility for a new five-year presidential term.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Sonic Youth
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My wife's take: "Business as usual."
Pakistan police attack protesters
BBC News
Police have used tear gas and baton charges to break up demonstrations by Pakistani lawyers against the country's state of emergency.
Lawyers said many colleagues were arrested as protests were dispersed in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami was also targeted, saying hundreds of its members were arrested overnight....
'Merciless' attack
In Lahore an estimated 2,000 people congregated to stage a rally, but several were reported wounded when police waded in.
"Police lobbed more than a dozen tear gas shells at lawyers who had gathered in the High Court and then beat them with batons," Sheikh Faisal, a lawyer at the court, told the AFP news agency by telephone.
In Karachi police blocked off routes to the home of provincial Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, where protesting lawyers and judges had planned to gather before heading to the High Court.
He told the BBC he had not been formally put under house arrest, "but when I started for my office, they told me I couldn't leave my house".
When lawyers arrived at the court and started chanting anti-Musharraf slogans, police moved in, swinging batons and dragging protesters into police vans, says the BBC's Ilyas Khan in Karachi.
Police also "mercilessly beat" half a dozen lawyers who were chanting anti-government slogans at a court in the city of Rawalpindi, lawyer Mudassir Saeed told AFP.
Lawyers' associations across the country said they were calling three days of protests and boycotts of courts.
Media reports, citing police and interior ministry sources, said around 1,500 people had been arrested in the last 48 hours, while many top judges were effectively under house arrest.
Responding to reports of the crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami, Information Minister Tariq Azim described the claim of hundreds of detentions as an exaggeration.
He told the BBC that it was up to protesters to remain calm, or deal with the consequences.
"If people take law into their [own] hands, obviously, they have to be dealt with," he told The World Today.
Pakistani TV news channels, which have huge audiences, are being prevented from broadcasting within the country, and at least one newspaper press was raided by police.
Pakistan police attack protesters
BBC News
Police have used tear gas and baton charges to break up demonstrations by Pakistani lawyers against the country's state of emergency.
Lawyers said many colleagues were arrested as protests were dispersed in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami was also targeted, saying hundreds of its members were arrested overnight....
'Merciless' attack
In Lahore an estimated 2,000 people congregated to stage a rally, but several were reported wounded when police waded in.
"Police lobbed more than a dozen tear gas shells at lawyers who had gathered in the High Court and then beat them with batons," Sheikh Faisal, a lawyer at the court, told the AFP news agency by telephone.
In Karachi police blocked off routes to the home of provincial Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed, where protesting lawyers and judges had planned to gather before heading to the High Court.
He told the BBC he had not been formally put under house arrest, "but when I started for my office, they told me I couldn't leave my house".
When lawyers arrived at the court and started chanting anti-Musharraf slogans, police moved in, swinging batons and dragging protesters into police vans, says the BBC's Ilyas Khan in Karachi.
Police also "mercilessly beat" half a dozen lawyers who were chanting anti-government slogans at a court in the city of Rawalpindi, lawyer Mudassir Saeed told AFP.
Lawyers' associations across the country said they were calling three days of protests and boycotts of courts.
Media reports, citing police and interior ministry sources, said around 1,500 people had been arrested in the last 48 hours, while many top judges were effectively under house arrest.
Responding to reports of the crackdown on Jamaat-e-Islami, Information Minister Tariq Azim described the claim of hundreds of detentions as an exaggeration.
He told the BBC that it was up to protesters to remain calm, or deal with the consequences.
"If people take law into their [own] hands, obviously, they have to be dealt with," he told The World Today.
Pakistani TV news channels, which have huge audiences, are being prevented from broadcasting within the country, and at least one newspaper press was raided by police.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Sonic Youth
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Musharraf warned: hold elections and quit as army chief
Envoys to spell out ultimatum in talks today in Pakistan
Declan Walsh in Islamabad and Julian Borger
Monday November 5, 2007
The Guardian
The US and Britain are today expected to demand that Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, honour pledges to hold elections in the next two months and step down as the army chief, or face a cut in western support.
The diplomatic showdown will come in the form of a meeting in Islamabad between the Pakistani leader and a group of ambassadors, two days after he declared emergency rule - and three days after giving assurances to the prime minister, Gordon Brown, and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, that he would stick to an election deadline in mid-January, and step down as head of the country's army.
Last night Pakistan's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, called those promises into question when he said the government had not decided when to hold the elections and warned they could be delayed by up to a year. Wielding his new powers with an iron fist yesterday, Gen Musharraf rounded up hundreds of opposition and human rights activists and introduced tight media regulations. Mr Aziz's statement directly contradicted personal assurances Gen Musharraf apparently gave to Mr Brown and Ms Rice on the eve of the emergency declaration.
The pledge to the prime minister was made on Friday, when Mr Brown telephoned Mr Musharraf and expressed concern over reports that an emergency decree was being planned.
"He [Mr Brown] said we had heard he was considering this and we thought it was a bad idea," a British official said.
Downing Street and the Foreign Office denied claims from Islamabad yesterday that Britain had, in fact, sanctioned Gen Musharraf's declaration.
A Musharraf aide told the Guardian that the Pakistani president had "satisfied" objections raised by Mr Brown during the conversation. "There was pressure from the US and Britain in the beginning. But later on, when the government gave them the detail that elections will be held on time, and the president will take off his uniform, they did not have any objections," the official said, on condition of anonymity. A Foreign Office official insisted "no consent was implied or given"....
....The British and US reaction has so far been cautious. It has fallen short of condemnation. More severe measures, as well as a reassessment of western aid to the Musharraf government will hinge on today's critical meeting.
"What we will make very clear is that the government must keep to the commitment to hold elections on time, the commitment to take off the uniform, the commitment to a free press, the commitment to reach out other parties, and the commitment to release political prisoners," a senior British official said. "How they respond to that will determine how our reaction thereafter."
Ms Rice, speaking to journalists in Jerusalem, said yesterday the US would "review" aid to Pakistan, which has totalled $11bn (£5.5bn) since 2001.
British officials said they would reassess aid in coordination with the US.
Envoys to spell out ultimatum in talks today in Pakistan
Declan Walsh in Islamabad and Julian Borger
Monday November 5, 2007
The Guardian
The US and Britain are today expected to demand that Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, honour pledges to hold elections in the next two months and step down as the army chief, or face a cut in western support.
The diplomatic showdown will come in the form of a meeting in Islamabad between the Pakistani leader and a group of ambassadors, two days after he declared emergency rule - and three days after giving assurances to the prime minister, Gordon Brown, and the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, that he would stick to an election deadline in mid-January, and step down as head of the country's army.
Last night Pakistan's prime minister, Shaukat Aziz, called those promises into question when he said the government had not decided when to hold the elections and warned they could be delayed by up to a year. Wielding his new powers with an iron fist yesterday, Gen Musharraf rounded up hundreds of opposition and human rights activists and introduced tight media regulations. Mr Aziz's statement directly contradicted personal assurances Gen Musharraf apparently gave to Mr Brown and Ms Rice on the eve of the emergency declaration.
The pledge to the prime minister was made on Friday, when Mr Brown telephoned Mr Musharraf and expressed concern over reports that an emergency decree was being planned.
"He [Mr Brown] said we had heard he was considering this and we thought it was a bad idea," a British official said.
Downing Street and the Foreign Office denied claims from Islamabad yesterday that Britain had, in fact, sanctioned Gen Musharraf's declaration.
A Musharraf aide told the Guardian that the Pakistani president had "satisfied" objections raised by Mr Brown during the conversation. "There was pressure from the US and Britain in the beginning. But later on, when the government gave them the detail that elections will be held on time, and the president will take off his uniform, they did not have any objections," the official said, on condition of anonymity. A Foreign Office official insisted "no consent was implied or given"....
....The British and US reaction has so far been cautious. It has fallen short of condemnation. More severe measures, as well as a reassessment of western aid to the Musharraf government will hinge on today's critical meeting.
"What we will make very clear is that the government must keep to the commitment to hold elections on time, the commitment to take off the uniform, the commitment to a free press, the commitment to reach out other parties, and the commitment to release political prisoners," a senior British official said. "How they respond to that will determine how our reaction thereafter."
Ms Rice, speaking to journalists in Jerusalem, said yesterday the US would "review" aid to Pakistan, which has totalled $11bn (£5.5bn) since 2001.
British officials said they would reassess aid in coordination with the US.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Sonic Youth
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These new Supreme Court justices aren't taking oaths to uphold the Constitution, so there's no conflict.OscarGuy wrote:Sonic, you miss the idiocy..."I'm suspending the constitution, but I'm still going to change out heads of a constitutionally-mandated body." If he's suspending the constitution, then he technically suspends the Supreme Court...THAT'S what I was referring to.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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Sonic Youth
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Pakistani PM: State of emergency to last 'as long as necessary'
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan will be under a state of emergency for "as long as it is necessary," Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Sunday, a day after Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution and widened his powers as president and military chief.
In a commentary written for CNN on Sunday, opposition leader Benazir Bhutto called Musharraf's plan "a step to entrench his dictatorship" and called for elections under an independent caretaker government.
But Aziz said it could be months before parliamentary elections -- scheduled for January -- will take place.
"The parliament could give itself more time, up to a year, in terms of holding the next elections," Aziz said. "However, at this point, no decision has been made."
The state of emergency had been imposed to "bring more harmony to the pillars of state" and to protect against extremism in the country, Aziz said.
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Emergency may delay Pakistan poll
BBC News
Planned elections in Pakistan could be delayed by up to a year after President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule, the country's PM says.
Shaukat Aziz told a news conference that the government remained committed to the democratic process.
But he said parliament might change the date of elections planned for January, and gave no end date for the emergency.
Rights have been suspended, media has been restricted and hundreds of people arrested under the emergency decree.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan will be under a state of emergency for "as long as it is necessary," Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said Sunday, a day after Pervez Musharraf suspended the constitution and widened his powers as president and military chief.
In a commentary written for CNN on Sunday, opposition leader Benazir Bhutto called Musharraf's plan "a step to entrench his dictatorship" and called for elections under an independent caretaker government.
But Aziz said it could be months before parliamentary elections -- scheduled for January -- will take place.
"The parliament could give itself more time, up to a year, in terms of holding the next elections," Aziz said. "However, at this point, no decision has been made."
The state of emergency had been imposed to "bring more harmony to the pillars of state" and to protect against extremism in the country, Aziz said.
-------------------------------------
Emergency may delay Pakistan poll
BBC News
Planned elections in Pakistan could be delayed by up to a year after President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule, the country's PM says.
Shaukat Aziz told a news conference that the government remained committed to the democratic process.
But he said parliament might change the date of elections planned for January, and gave no end date for the emergency.
Rights have been suspended, media has been restricted and hundreds of people arrested under the emergency decree.
"What the hell?"
Win Butler
Win Butler
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OscarGuy
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Sonic, you miss the idiocy..."I'm suspending the constitution, but I'm still going to change out heads of a constitutionally-mandated body." If he's suspending the constitution, then he technically suspends the Supreme Court...THAT'S what I was referring to.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin